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Goals to Set for Yourself to Live a Better Life

Don't expect a good life to fall into your lap—work for it. These are ten goals to set for yourself to live a better life.

Rich or poor, celeb or average Joe, there are steps everyone needs to take to improve themselves and their lives. No matter who you are or how much money you have, you should always work hard to improve all areas of your life. Personal growth is a major and rewarding part of living a life of fulfillment, which is why you constantly need to come up with goals to set for yourself.

Put Words Into Action

This is one of the biggest challenges many people have. Everyone talks, but not everyone walks. You have to get yourself in the habit of doing something when you say you're going to do it. Don't just talk about quitting smoking or getting a new job as a passing idea. You can tell yourself and your friends you're going to quit smoking all you want, but that doesn't matter unless you actually take tangible steps to achieve that goal.

The hardest part of achieving any goal is simply getting started. Once you push yourself to make the first move, the battle is already 50 percent won.

Separate Yourself from Toxic People

You only have so much time on Earth, so you shouldn't be spending time on people who don't deserve you. Cut problem starters and toxic people out of your life. This may seem a little harsh, but it is one of the most important goals to set for yourself.

Negative or draining people can bring you down, even if they don't mean to. A romantic partner may love you, but if they keep making you upset or angry, they're not someone you should be hanging around. Some of the biggest and best decisions you'll make in your life involve the kind of people you surround yourself with.

Always Be Kind

Well, as long as the person deserves your kindness, at least. (You don't need to be kind to an abuser, for example.) But generally, you should treat the people you come across with kindness and respect. This seems like an obvious thing to do, but sadly, most people don't do it.

Life becomes much easier and more enjoyable when people are kind to each other. Think about your job, for instance. Have you ever worked a job (or are currently working a job) that has just made you miserable? Where the people were rude and uncaring? Haven't you found yourself asking, what is the need for this? The answer: There isn't one.

People do better and feel better when they are in a positive, caring atmosphere. So make the active decision to be kind to those around you. It's a simple goal, but a powerful one.

Understand Other Perspectives

The most important goals to set for yourself aren't concrete ones, such as "make a million dollars" or "get a promotion." Those kinds of goals are symptoms of the more important, core goals you need to set for yourself; the ones that have to do with your mind and spirit.

For example, if you want to be a successful boss one day, you will have to know how to interact with and manage people in the most optimal way possible. How do you do that? By having a working understanding of human psychology. Everyone has their own world perspectives, which often results in conflict when two people disagree. Instead of arguing with someone until you lose your voice, try to understand where they're coming from and figure out how to meet in the middle.

Not only is this a great personal skill to have in general, but will help you succeed in any work or life scenario.

Aim to Out-Do Yourself

You have to work hard for the life you want. That's just a truth of life. Even if some people are luckier than others, there is always something that each person needs to work hard to obtain. One of the best goals to set for yourself has to do with that basic principle.

Always aim to out-do yourself. If you're a great girlfriend now, you could be a better one. If you're a prolific worker now, you could work harder. There is always more to do and more to be. Don't compare yourself to others, but do compare yourself to yourself.

Aim to Impress Yourself

One of the most satisfying things in life is to feel like you've managed to impress yourself. You set out to do something you love and you actually did it! Fifteen-year-old you would think you were awesome right now.

What's next on the agenda? What obstacle can you surmount and what goal can you achieve next? That's part of what personal growth means. Other people's opinions of you don't matter nearly as much as your opinion of yourself. Don't aim to be conceited, but aim to be the best version of yourself.

Surround Yourself with Good People

The flip side of removing toxic people from your life is putting good people in your life. Good people are the kind you can learn from. They're the kind who care about you and your well-being, who would help you in your time of need, and who also work hard.

This isn't just one of the most important goals to set for yourself because it's nice to be around nice people, but because it inspires you to be a better you. If you surround yourself with people you respect and admire, it will make you want to do and be better.

Keep Learning

You may have your PhD, but that doesn't mean your learning is complete. Personal growth means that you are constantly learning new things about life, about yourself, and about other people. Don't limit yourself to the beliefs you already hold or the things you already know. Once you place a limit on learning, you limit what you're capable of.

Learning new subjects, languages, or skills is one type of education that you can keep up with even when you're out of school. The other type is more organic: Learning from your mistakes and your life experiences. Never think for a second that you've learned all you can.

Learn to Communicate

Many of the necessary goals to set for yourself ultimately boil down to how adept you are at communicating. Communicating thoughts and feelings at all is a challenge for the vast majority of people. A lot of people bottle up their problems and refuse to acknowledge them, which only makes them worse.

But you don't just need to learn to communicate, you also need to learn how to communicate. For instance, if you're fighting with your partner, simply attacking them and telling them what they did wrong will not work. They will immediately go on the defensive and refuse to listen to what you have to say. However, if you approach someone who has upset you calmly with "I feel" statements, you're much more likely to reach a positive resolution. Positive and open communication is the key to living a life of happiness.

Admit When You're Wrong

No one wants to be wrong and no one likes to admit when they're wrong. However, if more people owned up to their mistakes, there would be much fewer problems in this world.

Even on a personal level or a career level, you need to learn to admit when you're wrong. People will appreciate your humility and your willingness to move forward, rather than stay stuck in pride and aggression. It's hard to swallow, but saying you're sorry actually does make life a lot easier. That is why it is one of the best goals to set for yourself.